Key case plate



July 26, 1949. A. A. ZAROWIN KEY CASE PLATE Filed Marbh 23, 1946 IN VEN TOR.

Patented July 26, 1949 OFFICE KEY CASE PLATE Albert A. Zarowin, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Evcready Keyholder Co., Inc., a corporation of New York Application March 23, 1946, Serial No. 656,608

Claims. (01. 70456) This invention relates to an improved key holder, and one of its objects is to provide a keeper plate with a main bead and an auxiliary bead and a rod slidable in the auxiliary beadto close all of the slots formed in both beads and constructed so that it will notaccidentally shift endwise and become separated from the keeper plate, so as to cause any of the key hooks to work out of its cooperating slot.

The present invention embraces certain refinements and improvements over the construction shown in my previous Patent 2,232,503, issued Feb. 18, 1941, for Key case. In the con- 'struction shown in this patent the shankof the lever slides through a minor head of the keeper plate, and is provided with a handle or crank arm on its outer end, which is manually inserted in th slot formed by an auxiliary lug and the adjacent end of the keeper plate. It frequently happens that this handle arm will be displaced from its holding slot, and when this occurs the shank of the lever will shift endwise, so as to accidentally release the key hooks. It is impossible to lock the lever except by forcing the handle into the additional slot formed at the end of the keeper plate, and this slot is not employed in any way to holda key hook. It involves additional construction andfrequently fails to prevent accidental unlocking of the lever, i I

In the present invention the rodisfomned with a series of offsets which cooperate withthe slides of the slots, through which the individual key holding hooks swing and swivel, so that the rod is held by the frictional engagement of these offsets from accidentally shifting endwise to release any or all of the keyholding hooks, but may be manually shifted when desired to permit of the release of any or all of the key holding hooks. i

With the above and other objects in view, the invention relates to certain new anduseful constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts, clearly described in the following specification, and fully illustrated in the drawings, in

whicha a Fig. 1 is a plan view, enlarged of the keeper plate, showing one key holding hook in normal position, a fragment of the key case being shown. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view, taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows. I

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view, further enlarged, illustrating the maximum frictional position of the locking rod. Fig. 4 is a similar view, illustrating the minimum frictional position ofthe locking rod.

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view of the rod in theposition shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view of the rod in the position shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the locking rod by itself.

Fig. 8 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view, taken on line 88 of Fig. looking in the direction of the arrows, with the locking rod entirely removed.

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate the practical embodiment of theinvention, 5 designates a flexible case, which may be of leather or other suitable material, to which the metal keeper plate 6 is attached by the eyelets or fasteners l. l

This plate is formed with a main head 8, which extends from one side edg of the plate. to the other side of the plate, and which is parallel to the upper longitudinal edge of the plate. This upper longitudinal edge of the plate is formed with a minor tubular bead or edge roll 9, considerably smaller in diameter than the main bead 8. The plate is also formed with transverseslots Ill, which extendthrough the main and minor beads, and thus through the upper edge ofv the plate.

Both sides of the plate 6 are formed alike, so that the key hooks may be mounted on the case 5 in proper balanced relation thereto. The minor bead or edge roll 9 is formed by curling the upper and divided edge of the keeper plate underthe main bead, thereby, concealing the rawedge of the plate in the main bead.

In each of the slots In the shank of a key holding hook I2 is arranged to swing and swivel, and each shank is formed with a head l3 which is wider than the slot and which normally, prevents the shank from pulling out of the slot. The

individual key holding hooks are prevented from moving through the upper ends of the slots by means of the rod l4, which is inserted in the divided head or edge roll 9. In this case the shank of this rod is formed with offset portions or small loops l5, which are adapted to register with the slots II]. All of these offsets or loops are disposed in a common plane, and the rear end of the rod is formed with a loop 16, to aid in pushing the.rod in place and ,insliding it in position.

The bore of the edge roll or minor bead 9 is formed slightly elliptical in transverse crosssection so that it will have a verticallength slightly in excess of its width, thereby producing an elliptical bore within theedge roll or bead.

When the rod M, is in the position shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the offsets will have maximum frictional engagement with the sides of the slots, or the edges ll of the lugs formed by the slots l0, and maximum manual effort will be required to affect the withdrawal of the locking rod. When the locking rodis in the position shown in Fig. 4

the ofisets will be disposed above the locking rod and due to the elliptical form of the opening of in locking position against accidental endlwise a sliding, and cannot freely shift in either position it may assume, unless manual pullingleffortzis applied to the handle of the -rod. --'=Ihis handle does not in any manner having any locking function, as it projects endwise Q f tjhe keeper plate without entering any locking slot or engaging any stop or looking lug. s

The oifset loops present rounded surfaces which are adapted to have sliding engagement with the edges of the slots, so that the use of the rod has-a natural tendency topolishstheseldes to make the swinging ofthe -hooks smoother. Wheh the olfset loops aredisposed in: theposition shown in Fig. 1 they have a tendency toiincrease the internal'-;pressure-on thecurls ofthe edge roll or gninor bead, and this naturally increases (the 'resistanceto sliding of the lockingrrod.

"This construction not only improves the prodnot value of thekey-oase, but-reduces cost oflconstruption and provides for greater security for the owner of -=tlie keys which are protected by the improvedkey case 7 V fI cla-im as new and patentable:

--1. A :key holding plate for-key oases, comprising aplate having a; nainbead disposedin pa rall'elrelationto "one edge thereof and having a curled edge forming a minor tubular bead havabore opening'therein, said plate having a slot extending through said main and minor beads, a key holding hook having a shank whichis ireely slidabl e in the slot thrpugh both beads and whiqh is provided with a head which is wider than the slot, anda rod slidably disposed the bore opening of the minor bead eos P ovided wi h a o fset 1 9 engageable w the sides of said slot, the minor head and the bore openingthereof being elliptical in transverse crosssection topermit the oifset loop to passthrough saidbore when said loop is disposed nward y i e outer edge of the minor bead and in alignment with said bore whereby longitudin a l sliding oi the rod through saidbore may be assleg v 'lgey holding plate for key cases, comprising, a platehavin'g a rnain bead dispqsed inparallel relation to voneed ge thereof and a curled ed i qt in e m no ut lar-h a prox a ell tical in ltransverse'crosssection and having we o corres n in ha sa p a ha n a series'of slots extending through saidmain and minor beads, a key holding hook having a shank freely slidable in any one of said slotsand having a head which -is wider than any slot, and a locking rod slidable in the bore of the minor bead and having offsetloopsspaced apart from each other to simultaneously register with all 7 slots said loops being disposed in a common plane and being slidable in the elliptical bore of the minor bead and said rod being turnable in said bore of the minor head ito'cause said loops to project toward theouter edge of said minor bead and look said rod against longitudinal movement in said bore, and a handle on the outer end of said mod.

:3. A key holding plate for attachment to key cases, comprisin a plate having a main bead disposed in parallel relation to one edge thereof and a curled edge forming a minor tubular bead, said plate having a SGIiBS' Of SIQtS parallel; to each other which extend through both said beads, a key holdin hook having a shank which is freely slidable in any of said slots and having a head iwider than any of said slots, the curled edge of said minor tubular bead being elliptical in transverse -cross' section-and the bore of said minor tubular- -bead being of corresponding shape, and a locking rod slidable in the bore of the minor =bead;;a1 1;d;;havingTaseries' of oifset loops disposed in a common plane and spaced from each other to have matching engagement with the sides of all of the slots of the minor bead, the offset loops being-adapted to lock the rodi insaid: -minor "bead when disposed outwardly -thereof :and to :permit slidingof said rod invsaid minorhead whendisposed inwardly-thereof 1 to register 7 with said :el liptical-boreof themi-nor bead. 7

A key plate having a longitudinally arched uppert-edge portionandia series a-transverse slots extending through said arched portion and parallel to each other; the upperedge of the plate being termed with a tubular bead=of approximately elliptical shape :in transverse cross sect-ion -and-with a bore havingcorrespondin :sha-pe and said slots extending through saidbead, each of said -s10ts :being adapted to receive the shank of 'a key holding hook havir g -a, terminal head wider than vthe slot, and --a-rod slidable'in the bore of the bead and provided with a series of offset portions -disposed :in a common plane and spaced apart from-eachsothera distance corre V sponding' to'the spacing between -theslots so that providing 'atubular minor bead of approximately elliptical shape in transverse cross section and having -a :bore of similar shape, said plate having atra'nsverseslot'extending through said main and minor beads, a key hook having a shank which may ireelyslide in said slot and having a :head wider than the slot to retain the shank insaid slot, and a rod slidable through the bore of said minor bead across .the slot of the minor head ztO prevent accidental withdrawal of the shank from the slot of said minor bead, said rod having a laterally .oifset portion receivable by said slot to prevent accidental longitudinal movement of said rod, said rod ibeing turnable in said minor bead .to locate said offset portion in alignment with the minor head bore to permit said offset portion to'pass through said bore and the rod out of said minor bead. c

' ALBERT A. 1;.ZAROWIN.

.BE EHENQ S QIEEP The following reierenlces are of record in the file of this patent:

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